Once More Unto the Breach
by Mbwun
Summary: A hundred fifty years after the end of the FedCom Civil War, war ignites within the Inner Sphere, threatening the Star League itself.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own the BattleTech universe and or/franchise, but I do own Edward Davion, Lara Steiner, Zander, and most of the characters in this story, for which I received no money.  
  
Enjoy! 


	2. Part 1

**Avalon City, New Avalon**

**Crucis March**

**Federated Suns**

**January 2, 3219**

"Captain Marsh, Mr. Zander is here to see you," said the orderly over the private intercom to Leon Marsh's office.  Marsh looked up from the stack of papers on his desk, most of them contract proposals from various planetary and interstellar governments, and keyed the talk switch.

       "Send him in, please, Sergeant."  A moment later, the door opened, and the tall, pale-skinned man stepped in.

       Marsh rose to his feet, shorter than Mr. Zander, but more powerfully built.  He ignored the impulse to tug at his thick black mustache as he extended his hand.  "Mr. Zander."

       "Captain Marsh," Zander replied, his voice silky smooth.  He did not take the offered hand.  "I'm glad you decided to see me on such short notice."

       "A mercenary company is in the business of making money, Mr. Zander," Marsh said, sitting back down.  "And being that my contract with House Davion is almost expired, any venue of employment is much anticipated.  Now how can I help you?"

       Zander opened his briefcase, setting a pamphlet on Marsh's table.  "Captain Marsh, this is a top secret operation.  Even if you refuse to participate, I must have your oath that it will remain a secret.  If you break that oath . . ."

       Marsh did not appreciate the thinly veiled threat, but as he had said, money was money, and the proposals from the Draconis Combine, the Raven Alliance, and the Capellan Confederation were less than appealing.  One from the Isle of Skye looked somewhat promising, but Marsh was certainly willing to hear what Zander had to say, if the price was right.

       "How much?" he asked.  Zander smiled.

       "I was waiting for you to ask that.  One million Star League credits, half in advance, half after completion of the operation."

       Marsh blinked.  One million credits?  That was a great deal of money, especially for a two-bit mercenary company that had little actual combat experience.  For a million credits, he could add another BattleMech company to the force, and upgrade his existing units considerably.

       "The First Vanguard Company is at your service, sir, and I swear that no mention of this meeting shall escape my lips."

       "Good enough," Zander said.  "The situation is essentially this:  I represent Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao.  You've heard of him?"

       Marsh nodded—everyone knew of the Wolf Clan warrior who had married Janice Liao, daughter of Capellan Chancellor Chong-lo Liao.  Recently, tensions between Charlemagne and his adopted liege had run high, supposedly fueled by Janice's desire to break with the upper portion of her father's realm.

       Zander continued.  "Lady Janice Liao is preparing to demand for control of the Tikonov Province of the Capellan Confederation.  Should her father be unwilling to reach a peaceful solution, it is General Kerensky-Liao's desire that he have a military force large enough to seize the province forcibly.  However, he can only count on the loyalty of one regular Capellan army unit, which, needless to say, is not enough.  I have been dispatched to gather a mercenary force sufficient to defeat any military reprisal that Chong-lo sees fit to mount.  As you know, the Capellan military has suffered from Chong-lo's reforms, and we expect little trouble in defeating them."  Zander shrugged.  "Frankly, Captain Marsh, I doubt very much that you'll see combat at all.  However, the million credits will be paid, whether or not your unit ever fires a shot."

       "All the standard merc benefits?" Marsh inquired.  Zander nodded.

       "Everything as required by Outreach," he said.  "Since your unit will be stationed on Tikonov, you'll have full access to the BattleMech factories should your unit be damaged in any fighting that occurs."

       "Sounds too good to be true," Marsh said.  Zander laughed as if he had never made the attempt before, and wasn't too proud of his success.

       "I assure you, sir, it is true."

       "We'll sign," Marsh said.  "You're providing transportation?"

       "A JumpShip will arrive in-system in a month, after your contract with the Federated Suns expires."

       "Great."  Marsh scrawled his signature at the appropriate points, and handed the contract over to Zander.  "You've got a deal, Mr. Zander."

       Zander ripped off Marsh's receipt, handing it back to him.  "Thank you, Captain Marsh.  I know you'll be glad you did this.

DropShip _Mayflower_, In Transit Dock With JumpShip CCS _Lucien_ _Cortez_ Tikonov Province 

**Capellan Confederation**

March 22, 3219 

"All hands to battle stations!  All hands to battle stations!"

       "What the hell is going on?" Marsh grunted, rolling out of bed as klaxons screamed around him.  The ship's captain's voice repeated the alert twice more over the intercom, and then stopped.  Marsh grabbed one of the overalls in his closet and stalked into the hallway.

       Lieutenant Rain Jeffers was right outside his door, her hand reaching toward the bell key.  She blinked in surprise when she saw him, but quickly regained her composure.

       "Sir," she said, "we just got commed by the bridge.  The _Cortez_ is under attack by Capellan WarShips.  It looks like they were preparing to assault Tikonov when we jumped in.  The planet is screaming for assistance.  The _Cortez_'s captain has ordered us to disembark so she can exit the system.  We'll be making a four-gee burn into the planet any time now."

       "Christ," Marsh muttered.  "This isn't the way our contract read.  Okay, get our people to their acceleration couches, and make sure all the 'Mechs are secure.  But don't get caught out of a couch when they start the burn, Lieutenant!  I'm going up to the bridge."

       "Yes, sir."

       The _Mayflower_'s bridge was a din of hushed voices and short, concise reporting when Marsh arrived.  Captain DeBrun waved him over.

       "Dammit, man, get in an accel couch," he said.  "We're just about to start the burn.  Here, use the exec's."  Marsh hurried to strap himself into the specially designed chair, which would use antigravity technology to compensate for the tremendous stress the DropShip would soon be under.  Within a minute of the couch's activation, DeBrun gave an order to the helmsman, who started the ship accelerating toward Tikonov.

       "What's happening—Jesus Christ!"  The JumpShip _Cortez _was displayed on the main view screen, flanked by two brand-new Stirtz-class destroyers, and had been pummeled under the two WarShips' weapons to the point of structural collapse.  Now, the burning wreck disintegrated as naval-grade autocannon fire ripped through its superstructure.

       "They're not going to catch us, are they?" Marsh asked.  DeBrun shook his head.

       "No, we've managed to get out of their range, and we have the acceleration advantage.  They might follow us in, but we'll make planetfall before they'll be able to hit us with anything."

       Marsh sank back into the acceleration couch, muttering a prayer of thanks as the DropShip continued to burn toward the planet.

Tyler City, Tikonov 

**Tikonov Province**

**Capellan Confederation**

**March 23, 3219**

The rebels' headquarters was in the Tyler City University campus.  TCU was a well-renowned college, known on any planet within fifty light-years as one of the Inner Sphere's premiere universities.  Now, the fighting had hammered most of its buildings flat, and BattleMech tracks and tank treads tore up its beautiful landscaping.

       General Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao was waiting for Marsh and the commanders of the other mercenary units that had come in on the _Lucien Cortez_.  He wore the uniform of the First Tikonov Regular Guard, the unit Marsh knew he commanded in his capacity as the husband of the Regent of the Tikonov Province, and a cloak of wolf pelts over that.  Now, Charlemagne's title was Lord of the Tikonov Armies, and his ambitious wife had declared herself Princess of Tikonov.

       Despite the arrival of his reinforcements, Kerensky-Liao did not appear happy.

       "These are the mercenaries?" he asked.  A lieutenant nodded.

       "Yes, my lord.  Colonels Trigg, Esteban, and Lloyd; Captains Wallace, Marsh, and Lorvick.  And with them two and a half regiments of BattleMechs and support."

       "Excellent," Charlemagne said, his voice booming, "Mr. Zander did even better than expected!  Their units are in the city?"

       "All but Captain Wallace's," the lieutenant explained, "his are still unloading from the DropShips.  But they will be available within the hour."

       "Good, very good."

       "Excuse me, General, we're getting a burst transmission from the Capellan commander."

       "Go ahead and put in on the main screen," Charlemagne said, pointing.  The communications technician nodded dutifully and quickly complied.

       The screen now displayed a short man, slightly pudgy in the face, with definite Asian features and a shaved head.  His voice was low and even, not unlike Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao's.

       "This is General Hu Lan-Shu, Eighteenth Capellan Heavy Lancers, to General Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao, commander of the rebellious Tikonov forces.  General Kerensky-Liao, my forces have captured the capital city of Tikonov.  Both Lady Janice Liao and Colonel Amanda Chou, the commander of your Second Tikonov Regular Guard, have been captured.  It is my distinct pleasure to inform you that, as per the Chancellor's orders, both Janice Liao and Amanda Chou have been shot for treason.  I sincerely wish to meet you, General Kerensky-Liao, that I might extend the Chancellor's courtesy to you as well.  That is all."

       Charlemagne turned away from the screen with a grim smile on his face, but nary a sign of remorse for his recently executed wife.  "You can see the situation.  General Hu is headquartered in the capital city.  We need to capture him to force a settlement.  Hu is a cousin of the Chancellor and, despite all his posturing, he is essentially a coward.  Killing him would be easy, but it would not accomplish our objectives for a free Tikonov Province.  Do you understand your units' mission, _quaiff_?  Good.  My staff and I will brief you before you are deployed."

       "Excuse me, sir," said a man standing in the corner.  Marsh looked and immediately recognized Mr. Zander.  "Perhaps the shock is too much for you, but General Hu just informed us that the Princess of Tikonov is dead.  Am I to understand that you are now assuming leadership of the Tikonov Principality?"

       "You should assume nothing of the sort," Charlemagne said.  "I realize that I did not react . . . as expected when I learned of my wife's death at the hands of her father's errand-boy.  However, I cannot allow her dream to go uncompleted.  The Tikonov Principality will become a reality, and Chong-lo Liao will pay for his crimes.  I swear it on my dead."  Charlemagne moved to the massive map display that now showed on the view screen.  "But back to the business of war.  The Eighteenth Heavy Lancers hold the northern side of the Eras River, and the capital.  But that is all they hold.  We have been able to triangulate the position of Hu's headquarters based on the general's previous transmissions.  We believe that the Capellans are using the MegaMech Corporation planetary headquarters as their command center.  Needless to say, this target is not to be heavily damaged in your assault.  Because of this, your 'Mech forces will work in close concert with infantry units from the First TRG and whatever we can recover from the Second.  The primary objective is the capture of General Hu and as many of his senior officers as possible.  If it is absolutely necessary—and only I will judge that situation—General Hu may need to be terminated in order to prevent his escape.  Understood, _quaiff_?"

       The mercenary commanders nodded their understanding.  Charlemagne smiled.  It looked unnatural on his scarred face.

       "Excellent.  Report back to your units; my staffers will be around to update each of your on your units' specific missions."

       Marsh's technicians were already going over his 'Mech when he arrived.  The BattleMech, a 75-ton _Caster_ that he'd "liberated" from the service of the Free Worlds Republic after leaving that institution's military ten years before, stood some ten meters tall.  It was roughly shaped like a man, though the left arm ended in the muzzle of a Falcon 12 10cm autocannon rather than the fully articulated hand that was affixed to the other.  Two lasers were mounted above the hand, and three more, these ones of the pulse variety, formed a rough semi-circle on his chest.  A fire-and-forget pack of SRMs was mounted in a boxy pod beside the _Caster_'s head.  The 'Mech was emblazoned with the red and orange paint scheme of the First Vanguards, and had been named Perseus after its first kill in battle had been a pirate _Medusa_.

       "It's all ready for you, Captain," the tech sergeant in command of the crew called down from a crane that was retracting from the 'Mech's shoulder.  "Full combat load and everything."

       "Thank you, Peters," Marsh said.  He brushed his hand up against Perseus' leg as he walked past it to head into the makeshift briefing room that the Vanguards had set up after being stationed in an unused section of the Tyler City spaceport.

All fourteen Vanguard MechWarriors were already there, under the watchful eye of Lieutenant Jeffers.  They stood at attention when Marsh walked in, and he calmly waved them back to their seats.

       "Good morning, people.  It seems that General Kerensky-Liao has a bit of a problem.  You see, the Capellans seem to think that they own this planet."

       "Maybe they should show him their real estate papers!"

       Marsh laughed.  "That's a thought, Scoot.  Not a good one, but hey, with you we make exceptions, right?  But all jokes aside, this little revolution is not going well for Mr. Kerensky-Liao.  Seems that Papa Liao was a bit angry with Lady Janice for deciding she wanted to strike out on her own.  Seems he was so angry that he gave orders to the Capellan commander to have her executed.  Apparently the commander of the Second Tikonov Regular Guard got stood up right against the wall right next to Lady Janice, and we can't count on much support from that regiment anymore."

       "Helluva situation, Captain."

       "There you are correct, Yountz," Marsh agreed.  "But let's not forget that we'll get paid one million credits if we help the good general win this little war of his.  And Charlemagne seems to think that'll happen if we capture the Capellan commander, a General Hu Lan-Shu.  General Hu has the ear of Chancellor Chong-lo, and Kerensky-Liao believes he can get the Chancellor to grant independence to the 'Tikonov Principality,' whatever the hell that is.  Our part in this grand operation is to provide a distraction for the force that goes in to get Hu.  We'll be working with Captain Lorvick and the Lonesome Devils.  Our job will be to ford the river and make it obvious.  If attacked in strength, we are not only authorized but expected to bug out."  Marsh smiled.  "Hell, if they pay us to retreat, what is the world coming to?"

       "What a damn pity," Scoot muttered.

       "I agree.  Lance commanders will have their lance's assignments momentarily, but there really isn't much to our part.  Run through some water, make some noise, get the Capellans' attention, and run like hell when they throw a battalion or two at us.  Everyone understand?"

       "Ho!" the company answered as one.

       "That's what I thought.  Let's get going now."

       The Eras River lie just ahead of Marsh in his _Caster_, and he watched the company's leading lance stride purposefully through it.  A few warehouses on the other side were leveled with bursts from autocannons and lasers.  Scoot even marched his _Spider_ up to one and kicked in the side.  For the most part, the operation was well in hand.

       Except the Capellan BattleMech units, the ones they wanted to draw away from their command center, weren't budging.

       "Vanguard, this is Red One.  I've got visual on three VV1 Rangers, Capellan markings."

       "Waste 'em," Marsh ordered, driving his 'Mech to a run.  If the Capellans were content to send light vehicles to the slaughter, he was happy to oblige them.  It took only a handful of seconds to ford the shallow part of the river, and then Perseus stepped onto the shore, water dripping from its angled hull.

       _Let's kill things._

       "Red Lance, firing," sang Red One.  Up ahead, Marsh could see the four BattleMechs, pouring too much ammunition into three light attack vehicles.  The Rangers exploded quickly, none of them having fired a shot.

       "Vanguard, this is too easy," Jeffers commented.  She was leading Blue Lance, the command lance, in her _Striker II_.  Marsh shrugged inside his cockpit.

       "So we make more noise," he said.  "The Capellans aren't buying that we're a real threat.  We'll convince them."

       Up the bank a way was a major refueling station that the Capellans had seized and were using to fill their vehicles.  Marsh dropped his golden crosshairs over the nearest fuel tank, and waited until the dot in the middle flashed red before depressing the firing trigger on the right joystick.  The two large lasers lanced out, scarlet beams that pierced the fuel tank—

       And created on hell of an explosion, totally destroying the JES missile carrier that had been guarding it.  Marsh smiled to himself as black smoke wafted into the air.

       "That ought to get their attention."

       "Captain Marsh, Captain Lorvick," said the voice of their communications operator back at Kerensky-Liao's headquarters, "be advised you have Capellan 'Mechs en route to your position, at least two companies.  Keep up the good work, Captains."

       "Thanks for the lowdown," Marsh said.  "Well, Captain Lorvick, our plan seems to be working."

       Half a kilometer to the east, Captain Lorvick laughed in the cockpit of his _Trebuchet_.  "It would appear so, Captain Marsh.  Shall we take full advantage of the situation our disturbance has created?"

       "We shall."  Marsh switched into the all-company channel.  "All right, ladies and gents, the Capellans are on the way, so fight like hell!"

       "The attack is going well?" Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao asked in his private chambers.  Lieutenant Colonel Grund, his chief of staff, nodded.

       "As well as to be expected, General.  The mercenaries are distracting the Capellans quite nicely.  The reserve units are ready to begin their attack across the river."

       Kerensky-Liao laughed.  "I am sure they are.  You know that General Hu will not be taken alive, _quaiff_?"

       "I thought," said Grund very carefully, "that we were relying on that certainty."

       "Aff, my friend, we are, we are."  Kerensky-Liao toyed with the displays on his wall view screen.  "However, being able to blame the mercenaries and not my own forces for the death of the Chancellor's cousin is only a piece in the puzzle.  I sincerely hope that Chong-lo is reasonable enough to recognize that the civil war this incident could ignite would tear the Confederation apart.  If he indeed is aware of this fact, the Tikonov Principality will become a reality much sooner than I dare expect.  However, Chancellor Liao has already behaved quite unexpectedly in this circumstance, _quaiff_?"

       Grund grimaced.  "We did not expect that Lady Janice would be captured with Amanda Chou, much less that General Hu would have her executed."

       "Not General Hu," Kerensky-Liao said.  "Not that spineless worm.  No, an order to have the Chancellor's youngest daughter stood up against a wall and shot could only come from the Celestial Throne itself.  And that showed more fortitude that Chong-lo is known for.  Not to mention the hitch it threw into our plans."

       "It was an unfortunate development, sir," Grund agreed.  "Without Lady Janice, your claim to the throne of the Principality is nowhere as solid as it was before."

       "But perhaps it is for the best, _quaiff_?  No one will be able to refute my claim to the throne, not after I sacrificed all to attain independence for the province.  And of course, there is the small matter of the military's loyalty."

       "There is no doubt that the Tikonov Regular Guard would follow you into Hell, sir."  Kerensky-Liao glared at Grund for a moment, for the chief of staff's demeanor bordered on that of a sycophant.  Grund quickly recovered his objective composure.

       "We're going to have trouble with Mr. Zander though," he said.

       "Oh, Zander is nowhere as loyal to my late wife as he acts," Kerensky-Liao said.  "I do not know what exactly what game he is playing, but I have no doubt that we will be able to turn him in time."

       "I'll take your word on it, sir," Grund said.  An orderly came up behind him and whispered into his ear.  "Sir, the reserve is launching its attack."

       Drops of sweat stung sharply as they dripped into Marsh's eyes.  The temperature inside his 'Mech's cockpit had raised dramatically over the last few minutes, and he drove the machine back down into the deeper regions of the river where the cool water greatly added to his heat sinks' ability to cool his 'Mech.  This was the fourth time in twenty minutes that he'd sought the refuge of the river, and it didn't look like it would be the last.

       So far, the Capellans had not been fighting very intelligently.  They had sent lances and pairs of lances out to meet the two mercenary companies, which had, obviously, picked them apart under a withering storm of lasers, particle beams, missiles, and autocannon rounds.  Marsh himself had scored a kill on an ancient Capellan _Cyclops_, felling the machine after a prolonged firefight.

       "Boss, looks like they finally wised up," Jeffers warned.  "They've got six lances inbound, and none of 'em look like they're gonna stop and watch the fun."

       "Okay, people, look alive, we've got a company and a half inbound."  _The fun part._  "Lance commanders, check your personnel."

       "Red Lance, we're all go."

       "Green Lance is good too, sir."

       "Gold Lance is green."

       "And Blue Lance checks out, sir."

       "Right, then let's show these Capellans how real mercs fight!"

       "I was not aware," said Scoot, "that we got paid to retreat."

       _Funny guy,_ thought Marsh.  Then a Capellan _Men-Shen_ appeared before him, launching a full flight of long-range missiles at point-blank range.  Marsh managed to evade all but two, and their warheads made shallow pockmarks in his 'Mech's armor.

       He sent a stream of autocannon shells back at the _Men-Shen_, stitching a line of destruction up its right leg, and then fired the pulse lasers, scoring a few hits on the BattleMech's left arm.  Armor ran off in molten dribbles, singing the grass below.

       The _Men-Shen_ wasn't just standing still, though.  It ran right past Marsh, hitting his _Caster_ full in the chest with both large pulse lasers.  Marsh's body was immediately drenched in sweat as the heat went up at least ten degrees in his cockpit, and the captain swore as the computer informed him politely that one of his pulse lasers was offline.  He spun the 'Mech on its heels, letting loose his fire-and-forget SRMs.  The missiles peppered the _Men-Shen_ with explosions, rocking the light-footed 'Mech and sending its obviously inexperience pilot to the ground.  As the 'Mech staggered to get up, Marsh poured fire into it, as did Scoot in his _Uziel_, lashing the fallen _Men-Shen_ with PPCs.  The 'Mech did not get back up.

       "Captain Marsh, Captain Marsh, this is Lieutenant Daniels, Captain Lorvick's second in command.  Captain Lorvick is down, sir; I am now in command of the Lonesome Devils.  I am deferring to your superior experience and requesting orders."

       "Dammit.  Captain Lorvick is unrecoverable?"

       "Affirmative, sir, his 'Mech took a gauss round right through the windshield."

       "Hell, Lieutenant, I don't have much to tell you," Marsh said, taking a hit from a _Lion Hunter_.  "Just keep doing what you're doing, and let me know if you're being overwhelmed!  I'll keep in touch.  Marsh out."

       He didn't hear Daniels' reply, for his attention was concentrated fully on the _Lion Hunter_ that was now directly in front of him, it's autocannon leveled at his face.  Marsh brought his 'Mech's arms up as fast as he could, willing them to be faster, faster—

       And yet, not nearly fast enough.

       Rain Jeffers saw the _Lion Hunter_ lining up the kill shot on the captain.  She swung her 'Mech's torso around, trying to bring her weapons to bear even as Marsh tried to block the enemy's shot.  She wasn't fast enough either.

       The steady stream of depleted-uranium shells blew though the _Caster_'s head in a burst of fire and shards of metal.  Finally Jeffers had the shot, and fired everything her 'Mech had, sending it into an emergency shutdown.  Lasers, missiles, and a particle beam turned armor into slag, fusing the _Lion Hunter_'s arm in place, but it did little damage.  What truly did the damage was the single LRM that had gone astray from its brothers . . . and punched right through the _Lion Hunter_'s cockpit windshield to explode practically on the Capellan MechWarrior's lap.  It was the best shot Jeffers had ever had, and the most complete kill she'd ever claimed, and yet, it hadn't been enough.  It would never be enough.

       Tears rolled down Jeffers' face as she turned away from the burning wreck of her captain's 'Mech.  A Capellan _Hollander_ showed itself, and was immediately on the receiving end of Rain Jeffers' pent up rage.

       The _Striker II _marched proudly into battle, its pilot no longer a thing of flesh and blood and emotion, but a cold, calculating killer just as machine as the 'Mech she piloted.

       Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao did not sleep that night.  Instead, he stood in his private chambers, hands clenched behind his back, staring at the tactical repeater.  The two mercenary companies he had sent as a distraction had not fared well in the battle, but it was of no consequence.  Colonel Esteban's forces had blown through the Capellan defenses, and, exactly as he had planned, had killed Hu Lan-Shu as the General had attempted to escape.

       His regards had been transmitted to Chong-lo, as well as his sincerest apologies for General Hu's unfortunate demise, all through the faster-than-light HPG stations operated by ComStar.  Chong-lo ought to be responding within a matter of hours, and Kerensky-Liao was content to give him all the time he needed, for he already controlled Tikonov.  Already, the worlds of Yangtze, Nopah, and Bharat had sworn allegiance to the Tikonov Principality.

       Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao smiled to himself.  It was all coming together as it should.


	3. Part 2

Davion Palace, New Avalon Crucis March 

**Federated Suns**

**March 25, 3219**

"Good morning, Your Majesty," said Jan Hakados when he entered the Fox's Den without knocking.  First Prince Anderson Victor David Davion didn't even look up from his morning 'fax.  His Intelligence Secretary took his usual seat in the comfortable lounge chair before Anderson's desk, and waited patiently for his Prince's attention.

       "Morning to you too," Anderson said finally, setting the 'fax aside.  "I take it you're going to inform me on the Intelligence Secretariat's take on what I just read about in the 'faxes."

       "If you just read about the Tikonov rebellion, I certainly am."  Hakados poured himself a cup of coffee out of the carafe that had been set on Anderson's desk by the Prince's orderly.  "All right, first the facts, in case the newsies got some of them wrong, because they always do."

       "Sugar?" Anderson asked sweetly, offering Hakados the tray of cubes.  The Intelligence Secretary shook his head.

       "No, but thanks all the same.  As I was saying, the facts.  Lady Janice Liao declares independence for the Tikonov Province.  Chancellor Chong-lo, her father, doesn't take too kindly to this, and sends the Eighteenth Capellan Heavy Lancers to regain control of the planet.  That was, incidentally, the unit of General Hu Lan-Shu, a cousin of the Chancellor and a very influential officer in his court, though not particularly skilled in the martial arts.  The Eighteenth Lancers are, as you probably know, the Capellans' 'parade killing' unit—they deploy them when they need to do something spectacularly, but nothing that's too hard."

       "All right.  Continue."

       "Of course.  General Hu meets stiff resistance from General Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao, the Clanner who married Janice Liao, and his Tikonov Regular Guard.  Also, Charlemagne brought in mercenaries from off-planet, about two and a half regiments' worth.  However, during the battle for the capital, Janice Liao and Colonel Amanda Chou, commander of the Second TRG, were captured by General Hu, and shot for treason.  My department has determined that the decision to execute the Chancellor's youngest daughter could only come from the Chancellor himself."

       "Well, that's not too much of a surprise," Anderson Davion said with a shrug.  "The Capellan royalty isn't exactly know for its strong family values.  Please, continue."

       "After that, Charlemagne counterattacked with his mercenaries.  General Hu was killed during the fighting.  According to our agent, Kerensky-Liao immediately sent a message to the Chancellor with his most sincere apologies for Hu's death, conveniently blaming it on the mercenaries, who did have orders to take Hu alive.  He also appealed to Chong-lo to find a 'mutually beneficial and peaceful resolution to this conflict.' "

       "What a crock," Anderson muttered.

       "That sentiment is apparently shared by Chancellor Liao," said Hakados with a nod, "because the Chancellor's response to Charlemagne's message and subsequent declaration of independence for the Tikonov 'Principality' was a promise to punish his subjects' treason with 'the fist of the gods.' "

       "So the Capellans are in a full-fledged civil war, eh?" Anderson said with a short chuckle.  "It's about time someone ousts those Liao bastards.  Has the Foreign Office had access to this yet?"

       "Not yet, sir."  Hakados made a note in his planner.  "I'll get it over to them ASAP."

       "Thank you.  Is that all you've got for me?"

       "As of now.  Remember, sir, this information is already two days old."

       Anderson nodded, already deep in thought.  "I'll have a meeting with you and the Foreign Secretary in two hours.  Get everything you've got and bring it.  Sarah Hasek will be there, too."

       "You're considering a military solution?"

       "Of course," Anderson said, "if only as a last-ditch solution.  However, Jan, the Federated Suns does have a major interest in Tikonov.  If supporting their bid for independence leads to certain concessions to us . . ."

       "And it doesn't hurt that the people we'd be screwing over happen to be cretins," Hakados said with a smile.

       "That thought certainly has crossed my mind."

Imperial City, Luthien Pesht Military District 

**Draconis Combine**

**March 25, 3219**

Coordinator Ichiro Kurita heard his son enter the room, but did not turn until he had finished the last page of Victor Steiner-Davion's _Cause and Effect_.

       "Truly, an amazing man," said Ichiro to Yoshi Kurita.  The Gunji-no-Kanrei of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery raised a questioning eyebrow.

       "Victor Davion.  Such a life.  So great a man."

       "He would have been an adversary truly worthy of the Combine, Coordinator," Yoshi said meaningfully.  Ichiro smiled.

       "Instead," said the Coordinator, "he was an even greater ally.  Let that be a lesson to you, Yoshi, when you are Coordinator.  A man is not defined merely by his name, nor by his lineage."

       Yoshi nodded silently.  He had read the works of Victor Steiner-Davion before, and like his father, was very much impressed by the son of the man they had called the Fox, the man who, after his death, the great Coordinator Takashi Kurita had commemorated by saying that no enemy remained who was worthy of the Combine.  For Takashi and his historical hatred for the Federated Suns, that was the highest honor to be paid a man such as Hanse Davion.

       Yoshi was not quite so certain that the current First Prince, Anderson Davion, was quite so deserving of admiration as his ancestors had been.  Since the Blakist Jihad almost a century and a half ago, or, even before that, the civil war that had wracked the titanic realm then known as the Federated Commonwealth, House Davion had lost much of its former glory.  Still a force to be reckoned with, to be sure, but the Davions, like the rest of the Successor States, had not fought a real war for a hundred years until the Republic of the Sphere's expansionistic blitzkrieg, during which the Third Star League had been forged in the heat of battle.  The Davions had performed admirably during that war, but that had been under First Prince Maximilian Davion, Anderson's father.  So far, Anderson had been a shrewd diplomat, but had been presented with little challenge during his reign.

       Perhaps now would be the time.

       "Father, I presume you know of the 'incident' in the Capellan Confederation," said Yoshi quietly.  Ichiro nodded.

       "I have indeed, my son.  Chong-lo must be very worried, very worried indeed.  I found his response to Kerensky-Liao's demands rather foolhardy.  Which is not to be unexpected—ancestors only know how Chong-lo and his father have made a mockery of the Celestial Throne."

       "You would have bowed to Charlemagne's demands?  You surely are not serious."

       "Of course I am," Ichiro said with a laugh.  "The Capellan Confederation is teetering on the brink of a civil war that could rival the fabled FedCom War.  However, if he reaches a peaceful settlement with Kerensky-Liao, then he has a much better position from which to bargain.  And then it puts the ball in Kerensky-Liao's court—he can take what Chong-lo offers him, or he can reject it, ask for more, and plunge the Confederation into open conflict, making him the villain of the piece.  Since Chong-lo is the aggressor, however, he will have a much harder time convincing the Star League to see his side."

       "What is your feeling on the matter?" Yoshi asked.

       "You mean how will I vote when Donavan Steiner calls the Star League to order?" Ichiro said.  "I will almost certainly side with the Tikonov Principality, unless some new development seriously alters the situation.  The Combine stands to gain the most from a weakened Confederation and an independent Tikonov, and in the end, Chong-lo cannot win.  It would be much better for us to have supported the winners from the beginning, yes?  And don't say any of that 'your wisdom is infinite, Coordinator' bullshit, either.  I want to hear your honest opinion."

       "My opinion, father," said Yoshi, "is that this could all backfire rather spectacularly on us.  Certainly, we stand to gain a great deal from a humbled Chong-lo, but will the Star League concur?  We are not the ruling faction, not by any means."

       "Davion will agree, he has to, especially if he can gain access to Tikonov's 'Mech factories.  The Rasalhague Dominion will vote against us, for they have been allies of the Liao for too long not to.  Duchess Sandoval and the Wolves will vote for Tikonov's freedom, and the Raven Alliance will be against it.  The only wild card in the bunch is the Free Worlds Republic.  Fetladral-Corrigan could follow the lead of his Wolf Clan masters, but he has been known to act independently of their wishes, as well.  Unfortunately, my son, the bitter reality of this is that the Draconis Combine may very well see war in the coming years.  I'll expect the military to be able to handle this."

       "It shall be so, Coordinator."

Fort Simpson, Pollux 

**District of Lyons**

**Lyran Alliance**

**March 26, 3219**

General Lara Steiner, the famous red-haired beauty of the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces, swore viciously as she read the dispatch from her cousin, Archon Donavan Steiner.  It was brief but to the point, and left no room for misinterpretation.

       She hit her comlink.  "Leutnant, sent in Oberstleutnant Kiel," she said quickly, snapping off the communicator before she could hear her orderly's response.  A moment later, Randolph Kiel, executive officer of the Twelfth Donegal Guards, stepped through her office door.

       "Sit," she commanded.  "All right, Randy, we've got the orders to go.  The Archon is putting us with the WarShip _Jessie Steiner_, to 'await deployment.' "

       "Sounds like he's taking this business in the Confederation quite seriously," Kiel observed.  "Do we know specifically where we're going to be deployed to?"

       "No, but I do know that dustoff is in thirty-six hours.  You'd better get packing, Oberstleutnant."

       Kiel waited until she nodded his dismissal, then practically ran out the door.  _Thirty-six hours?_ he thought.  _To move four regiments?  Command must be dreaming_.

       Lara Steiner found herself walking down toward the 'Mech garage.  With a highly trained exec like Kiel performing his duties, the commander of the Twelfth Donegal had very little to do until dustoff.  Her personal items had been packed, and her personal BattleMech, a hundred-ton _Atlas_, had been taken out to the DropShip _Maryland_ that morning.

       She walked along the upper catwalk that hung a few meters from the garage's high ceiling.  Below, the garage was a hub of activity as the Twelfth Donegal's excellent tech staff raced to pack away pieces of the station that had been their home for the better part of two years.  Ten-meter-high BattleMechs tromped out of the garage to walk the kilometer and a half to the base's landing fields.  A _Cougar_ walked out the door, followed closely by its lancemate, an aged but well kept _Thunder Hawk_.  The lance commander rode in a _Nova Cat_ captured a hundred fifty years before during Operation Bulldog, and walked the gigantic 'Mech out of the bay with artful skill.

       Out beyond the garage's doors, a tank lance rolled by, two Bulldogs, an M1, and a Demon, their treads creating an unholy clanking as they made their way to the DropShips.  Allowed to drive at greater speeds than the 'Mechs, they quickly passed the _Nova Cat_, turning left to go out to the _Meteor_, the DropShip that served as the armored battalion's transport.

       Lara was becoming increasingly concerned about the readiness level of her troops.  Certainly, the Twelfth Donegal was one of the best units in the LAAF, and Lara had trained them mercilessly since assuming command, honing the blade to a fine edge.  However, no one had fought a war since the Republic Incident, and that had been some fifty years ago.  Not one of her people had ever seen combat, herself included.

       It scared her.  No, it terrified her.

       And she knew it.

**Crucis March**

**Federated Suns**

**March 27, 3219**

The massive _Atlas_ plodded over the ground like an ancient god, its skull-like visage hiding the man at its controls.  General Edward Davion, second cousin of the First Prince and commander of the First Crucis Lancers, grimaced as he read the dispatch that had just been transmitted to him from the mobile command post, having been relayed all the way from headquarters at the Castle Diennes.  Finally, he keyed the comlink to his first officer.

       "Colonel Rian, we're turning back."

       "Sir?" Rian asked.  The Lancers had only been in the field for a day, the first of a twenty-day training mission in the wilderness.  Edward grimaced.

       "We've got orders from New Avalon.  We're to pack up the base and stand ready to pull out on the First Prince's orders.  Most likely, those orders would be for deployment to the Capellan Confederation."

       "Jesus, I didn't think it was that bad," Rian said.

       "It isn't," Edward assured him, "not yet, anyway.  However, The Powers That Be think it very likely that Star League peacekeepers will be deployed to the region.  Unless they decide to rely solely on the Com Guards, which is unlikely, Prince Davion will be sending us with the Fourth Avalon Hussars."

       "General Mercucio's unit?"

       "The same."  Edward throttled his _Atlas_ down to a standstill while Rian passed the word to the three regimental commanders.  Within a minute, all three of the Lancers' BattleMech regiments were heading back into base at full speed.


	4. Part 3

Star League Capitol, Tukayyid 

**ComStar Administration Zone**

**Rasalhague Dominion**

**April 7, 3219**

"Let this emergency conference of the Third Star League come to order," said Archon Donavan Steiner, the tall First Lord of the Star League.  When the various lords and ladies had quieted and seated themselves, he continued.  "Because this session has been called in response to the recent events in the Capellan Confederation, the chair recognizes Chancellor Liao as its first speaker."

       "Thank you, First Lord."  Chong-lo Liao was of average height, build, and appearance, but no one who knew of him would mistake him for a typical ruler.  Chong-lo had repeatedly demonstrated his cunning and ruthlessness in the past, not least of all during the "recent events" that had taken place in his realm.  He was a shrewd politician who most considered one of the most dangerous leaders in the Inner Sphere.  "I will be blunt in my presentation, for we have little time.  As you all know, the Tikonov Province of the Confederation has rebelled against my lawful rule, led by my own daughter in a blatant ploy for personal power.  Lady Janice was supported by her husband Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao, and his elite military force, the Tikonov Regular Guard units.  During the opening stages of the revolution, during which the Eighteenth Capellan Heavy Lancers attempted to regain control of Tikonov, my daughter was captured and executed by General Hu Lan-Shu.  Why General Hu acted so, I cannot say, but I can say that, contrary to popular belief, I did not order my own daughter's death.  Surely you do not hold me in such low regard as to believe the lies of rebels!"  Chong-lo shook his head.  "However, that is a matter to be sorted out when this is over.  In an effort to end the fighting, I appeal to the Star League to pass resolution ordering Tikonov to rejoin the Confederation, and to end the fighting.  I also implore you to consider indicting Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao for war crimes, charges for which the Capellan Confederation has amassed substantial proof in the recent weeks."  He bowed slightly, and Donavan Steiner turned to the first request to speak.

       "The chair recognizes First Prince Davion as its next speaker."

       "Thank you, sir," said Anderson Davion.  "I am compelled to respond to the statements of my esteemed comrade, Chancellor Liao.  While I can appreciate the sentiment from which his demands spring, I cannot support them.  The Tikonov Province obviously desires freedom from the Confederation—who are we to deny them that freedom?  This is not the age of the Succession Wars, where the Great Houses enforced their will through armed conflict.  The pen is finally mightier than the sword.  Seeing this situation, I cannot help but think to two similar incidents experienced by both myself and our esteemed First Lord, Archon Steiner.  I refer, of course to the secession of the Isle of Skye from the Lyran Alliance in 3206, and the secession of the Draconis March Federation from the Federated Suns in 3209.  Both issues were settled peacefully and without incident, and now our realms enjoy healthy, stable relationships with our former territories," he said, nodding to the lords of the Isle of Skye and the DMF.  "Let us give Tikonov the same chance.  Kerensky-Liao has already expressed an interest in joining the Star League; what better place for the Principality to grow as a nation?"

       Donavan Steiner nodded.  "The chair recognizes Captain-General Corrigan."

       The ruler of the somewhat inaccurately named Free Worlds Republic, one of the most militarist dictatorships the Inner Sphere had ever seen, thanked the First Lord with a brief smile before speaking.

       "The concern of the Free Worlds Republic," said David Corrigan, "is that, unlike the Isle of Skye and the Draconis March, the Tikonov Province did not peacefully request independence from the Confederation.  Allowing such blatantly illegal behavior to flourish would only contribute to a new age of Succession Wars—something I think none of us want."

       "The chair recognizes Coordinator Kurita."

       "I would respectfully beg to differ, Captain-General," said Ichiro Kurita.  "The late Lady Janice Liao did declare the Province's independence without any threat or use of violence.  It was Liao units that landed on Tikonov, Liao units that fired the first shots, and Liao WarShips that destroyed the Tikonov-registered JumpShip _Lucien Cortez_ the first day of the war.  Let us not confuse our facts."

       "I object to—"

       Donavan knocked his gavel twice, cutting off Chong-lo Liao's protest at its birth.  "The chair," he said coldly, "has not yet recognized the Capellan Chancellor."  He turned to the man who had petitioned to speak.  "The chair recognizes Precentor Martial Kurita-Davion."

       Nicholas Kurita-Davion bowed his head respectfully toward the First Lord.  The commander of ComStar's military arm, the Com Guards, stood, bringing himself up to his full height.  He was tall and powerfully built, a much more intimidating presence than had been his great-grandfather, the legendary Victor Steiner-Davion.  After the Word of Blake Jihad and subsequent formation of the Republic of the Sphere, Victor had survived yet another bid for the power that was rightly his when Gavin Dow had petitioned for his removal.  After the power plays had nearly destroyed ComStar, Victor had essentially forced the First Circuit to reform the office of Precentor Martial, leaving it ComStar's only inherited posting, forever destined for Victor's heirs.

       "The position of ComStar," said Nicholas, "is that Tikonov be allowed its freedom.  You cannot hold it forever, Chancellor Liao, and if your worlds see how reasonable you are in letting Tikonov go, they may be more inclined to stay with the Confederation.  Certainly, you will lose a few, but most Capellans are loyal subjects to your Celestial Throne."  _Because,_ he did not add, _it would be suicide not to be._

       "The chair recognizes Chancellor Liao."

       "I call for a vote," Chong-lo said.  "We gain nothing through inaction.  Let us get down to the issue."

       "That motion is seconded," said Anderson Davion.  Steiner nodded.

       "The conference will now vote on the Tikonov issue.  A vote of yes will grant the Tikonov Province freedom from the Capellan Confederation; a vote of nay will grant the Confederation complete control of the Tikonov Province.  How votes the Federated Suns?"

       "Yes," said Davion crisply.  The First Lord nodded.

       "How votes the Draconis Combine?"

       "Yes," agreed Ichiro Kurita.

       "How votes the Capellan Confederation?"

       "Nay!"

       "How votes the Free Worlds Republic?"

       Corrigan hesitated as if he had lost his nerve at the last minute.  Stealing a glance at the Wolf Clan delegation, he answered:  "Nay."

       "How votes the Rasalhague Dominion?"

       Khan Prince Månsdotter grinned.  "Nay."

       "How votes the Raven Alliance?"

       "Yes," said President Marcos.

       "How votes Clan Wolf?"

       Elijah Kerensky, the clan's senior khan, glared daggers at the Free Worlds Republic.  "Aff."

        "How votes Clan Jade Falcon?"

       "Neg," asserted Khan Jacob Pryde.

       "How votes Clan Sea Fox?"

       "Neg," said Drovina Critchell.

       "How votes Clan Nova Cat?"

       "Neg," Khan Kerensky said.

       "How votes the Isle of Skye?"

       Duke Marik-Steiner shrugged.  "Nay."

       "How votes the Draconis March Federation?"

       "Yes!" said Leann Sandoval emphatically, horrified by Skye's decision.

       "How votes ComStar?"

       "Yes," Nicholas said smoothly.

       "And the Lyran Alliance," said Donavan Steiner quietly, fully aware that his vote was the tie-breaker, "votes yes.  This Conference of the Star League has voted for the freedom of the Tikonov Province.  Chancellor Liao, you are compelled by treaty agreements to comply."

       "Clan Jade Falcon wishes to lodge a formal complaint!"

       "So noted," said Steiner without a hitch.  "The chair recognizes Chancellor Liao."

       "I am disgusted with this board.  Once again, the Davion-Kurita-Steiner triumvirate conspires to rob the Liao of what is rightfully theirs—"

       "Chancellor Liao, may I respectfully remind you to refrain from personal insult during this conference?"

       "Damn you!  Damn your formalities!"  Liao threw his chair back, storming out of the room in a rage, his startled entourage running to catch up.  Steiner blinked.

       "It seems," he said, "that the Chancellor has chosen to withdraw from this session.  The chair recognizes Prince Davion."

       The First Prince gathered himself before proceeding.  "In light of Chancellor Liao's seeming rejection of this conference's ruling, I submit to the chair that peacekeeping forces be dispatched to the region under the Star League flag."

       "ComStar seconds that motion," Nicholas said, "but only on the condition that the Commander of the Star League Army retain authority over any forces we send."

       Anderson nodded his approval.

       Steiner grimaced.  "The conference will now vote on the issue of peacekeepers.  A vote for yes will send peacekeepers to the Confederation, and a vote for nay will stop such an action."

       The vote was almost unanimous for peacekeepers, only the Raven Alliance and Clan Nova Cat voting against, though Clan Wolf did abstain from the proceedings.  Donavan nodded contentedly.

       "This conference is at an end.  I will be hosting a private meeting with the Defense Council this afternoon.  Thank you."


	5. Part 4

**WarShip FSS _Warspite_**

**Tikonov Nadir Jump Point**

**Tikonov Principality**

**May 3, 3219**

"Commodore Giovanni," said Admiral Winston Adel to the commander of the Tikonov Principality's naval assets, "this is Admiral Adel of the AFFS, and General Edward Davion, commander of the Star League peacekeeper task force.  We request permission to enter Tikonov space.  My communications officer has already transmitted the pertinent information."

       The holographic representation of Giovanni that stood before them captured the commodore's expression masterfully as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another.  Edward, who was standing next to Admiral Adel, knew that, with nine WarShips from the Draconis Combine, Federated Suns, Lyran Alliance, and Com Guard, there was little that Giovanni could do to stop them with the two aged and battle-scarred destroyers that now defended the Tikonov system.

       "On behalf of Prince Charlemagne, I welcome you to Tikonov," said Giovanni.  "The, ah, size of your force left us a bit alarmed.  We were unaware that the Star League had deemed it necessary to send so many units to Tikonov."

       "Don't worry, Commodore," said Edward quickly.  "Most of this force is destined for other worlds in the Principality.  But we'll be operating our peacekeeping mission from Tikonov itself, and we'll be leaving a regiment of combined forces to defend it."

       "I see," said Giovanni, briefly looking to something off the receiver's field of vision.  "Prince Charlemagne will be pleased to hear of the Star League's commitment to our cause.  And he has granted you permission to approach Tikonov; the proper vectors should be being transmitted to you now."

       At a nod from his commo officer, Adel smiled.  "Yes, we've just received them, thank you."

       "Then I wish you a pleasant journey," Giovanni said.  "You must forgive me for not providing your forces with a proper escort in-system.  Unfortunately, the Liao have been relentless in their attacks against our shipping."

       "Hopefully we'll be able to stop that," said Adel just before Giovanni cut the transmission.  The plastic smile fell off the admiral's face as he turned to Edward.

       "You've got your work cut out for you, sir."

       "Yes, I'd guessed as much."  Edward Davion had been chosen by the Precentor Martial himself out of a handful of candidates for the position of task force commander.  It was not a posting that he had enjoyed thus far, but he had an excellent staff to help him, most notably his second in command, General Lara Steiner.  So far, the units had been too busy to worry about any nationalism-inspired turf wars, and Edward was determined to break them in a way that would promote teamwork, not competition.  The only problem he saw would be on Tikonov, where he planned to station the command battalions from the Davion, Steiner, and Kuritan primary units.  The Drac commander was a sensible man, though, and Edward had full confidence that any rough spots would soon be worked away.

       "What time do we make planetfall?"

       "It'll be a four-day burn from here.  Only a gee of acceleration; we're not in _that_ much of a hurry."

Prince's Palace, Tikonov 

**Tikonov Principality**

**May 7, 3219**

Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao, Prince of the Tikonov Principality and General of the TPAF, sat in his smallish office in the eastern wing of the Prince's Palace, formerly the Palace of the Capellan Governor.  However, the governor had retreated with the remnants of General Hu's command, leaving behind an estate that had quickly been renovated and decked out to serve as Charlemagne's place of living and business.

       "Sir," buzzed a voice from the intercom on his desk, "the peacekeeper commander is here."

       "Show him in, please," said Charlemagne sweetly.  Better to let them think of him as the lamb until the lion showed its teeth.

       General Edward Davion walked into the room with the simple, yet precise, gate of a career military man, one who was so good at his job that he needn't worry about the petty technicalities of military life.  He was of good height, though still shorter than Charlemagne, with a trim build.  His light hair was cut close to his scalp, and his face was lined and weathered from the long road behind him.  He wore the green-and-blue uniform of his unit proudly, the small star of a shining green metal on his brass x marking him as one of the participants in the Star League action against the Republic of the Sphere's short-lived rebellion in 3199.  The rest of his "salad bar" showed numerous engagements with pirate raiders, as well as what must have been training missions and unit certifications.  Davion's right hand rested on the golden pommel of his decorative saber, the final addition to his uniform.

       The woman that followed him in was a sharp contrast to Edward Davion's plain simplicity.  General Lara Steiner, indeed a very beautiful woman, walked with an air of pride that could only be Steiner in origin.  Her polished boots clicked against the floor, and her flashy sky-blue uniform was marked with various decorations, though none quite so impressive as Davion's.  And, if Charlemagne was correct in reading those markings, Steiner had never seen battle before.

       _Fantastic,_ he thought, _a _stravag_ simulator ace!_

       "Welcome to Tikonov, Generals," he said politely, allowing none of the disdain he felt creep into his voice as he waved toward the two chairs before his desk.  "Please, have a seat."

       "Thank you, Prince," Davion said evenly.  Steiner waited until her superior had seated himself to take hers, and Charlemagne smiled inwardly at the show of respect.  Obviously, Steiner thought quite highly of her commander.  _Something to remember for later, _quaiff_?_

       "If you wouldn't mind, Prince," started Davion, "we'd like to brief you on what we intend to do here.  First of all, my staff will formally issue statements to both your troops and the Capellans informing them that the Star League expects the fighting to cease, and that my forces are authorized to use deadly force to prevent either side from continuing in the fighting."

       "Aff, I had expected as much," Charlemagne admitted.  He would much rather have preferred an option that favored Tikonov as the victim, but it seemed that this was as much as he was going to get.

       "When we've seen how the different units responded to the statements, and then we'll deploy our forces according to what the situation is.  Obviously, planets where the fighting has continued will receive more forces, and planets that we deem a lower risk will receive less or no peacekeepers.  The only world for which I've already decided on the garrison for is Tikonov."

       "Oh?" Charlemagne said, hardly surprised.

       "I intend to make Tikonov the headquarters for the task force, primarily because this planet's ComStar station is the best in the Principality, which will make it easier for me to keep in touch with my superiors on Tukayyid.  I'll have the command battalion from the units from the Federated Suns, Lyran Alliance, and Draconis Combine stationed here, which means that both myself and General Steiner will be on-planet, though that may change as the situation dictates."  General Davion paused.  "I'm also stationing the task force flagship, the _Warspite_, in orbit, if you don't mind."

       "Neg, it is no trouble at all."

       "Excellent," Davion said.  "There is one last thing that I must request of you."

       "Yes?"

       Davion bit his lip.  "I will need a warrant from you stating that the commanders of my peacekeeping forces are superior to your officers.  I realize that this might create conflict between garrison forces, but in the long run, I think that it'll help us avoid unnecessary bloodshed."

       Charlemagne hesitated.  He didn't like the idea of giving the Star League control over his military, but what could he do?  After all, he was the one who had secretly contacted Anderson Davion and requested that the First Prince lobby the need for peacekeepers in the first place.

       Finally, he nodded.  "Aff, I will grant the warrant, but I cannot guarantee that my forces will obey it.  They were far more loyal to my late wife than they are to me, and even more loyal to a free Tikonov.  They will do what they think is best for the Principality."

       "Thank you, Prince."  Davion smiled.  "I have no doubt that there will be little trouble to hinder our efforts to bring peace to this area.  With your leave . . ."

       "Aff, be about your business, General," Charlemagne said with a wave toward the door.  "Should you need to call on me again . . ."

       "I shan't hesitate, sir," Davion said as he walked to the door, Steiner in tow.  After he had left, Charlemagne leaned back in his chair.

       "Not quite what you expected, eh?" asked Mr. Zander as he stepped out from behind the drapery where he had been covertly observing the conversation.  Charlemagne shook his head.

       "Honestly, no, it wasn't."  The Clanner smiled to himself as he was finally able to speak like a normal man.  Zander had seen through his façade almost from the first day; there was no point in continuing it in his presence.  The ways of the Clans had despised him since the day he had been old enough to know that they did.  To spite the system that he hated, he had worked harder than anyone in his sibko, testing into the Warrior class with perfect marks . . . and then escaping it the first chance he had.  How his Clan's elders had scoffed when Star Colonel Kerensky had wed Janice Liao, heir of an Inner Sphere realm.  Charlemagne would love to see them now, now that he was lord of his own space instead of a slave to worthless tradition—tradition that had been bested by the culture he had adopted.  "General Davion is anything but a political yes-man.  Of course, being that he's the cousin of the First Prince, I don't suppose he ever had to be."

       "He is an adept soldier, as well, sir," said Zander.  "He's commanded a regiment in battle before, which is more than I can say for most Capellans officers."

       _Or most of the commanders of your own Tikonov Regular Guard,_ he did not add.

       "Indeed.  Do we know what type of 'Mech he pilots?"

       "An _Atlas_.  One of the newer models, I believe, but he's been in the type since he made captain."  Zander paused for a moment, thinking.  "I believe that General Steiner has a similar 'Mech."

       "Hmm."  Kerensky-Liao had always maintained that one could deduce a great many things by knowing the type of 'Mech a general chose as his own.  His immediate impulse was to say that Edward Davion was the type to barrel straight into a fight, matching brawn for brawn in an all-out slugfest in which the winner would be the one with the most armor and the biggest guns.  Certainly, that judgment was correct with Lara Steiner.  But Charlemagne sincerely doubted it to be the case with Davion.  He had been too calm, too tactful to prescribe to that sort of theory . . . and he had survived too many military actions.  "We will have to watch this one."

       "It shouldn't be hard, he said himself that he'd be stationed on Tikonov."

       "But if we are too overt in our espionage, he will find reason to relocate his headquarters," Charlemagne pointed out.  "Be careful, Mr. Zander.  And remember who you work for."

       "My Prince," said Zander with an over-exaggerated bow, "how could I ever forget?"

Task Force Aleph HQ, Tikonov 

**Tikonov Principality**

**May 9, 3219**

"Well, it's what we expected.  Maybe not what we hoped for, but definitely what we expected."  Edward crossed his armed in disgust.  "Stupid bastards.  Well, I guess we'll just have to kill them."

       Sho-sho Alfred Yamada nodded almost sadly.  "_Hai_, it would appear that your sentiment is correct.  Look on the bright side, though, at least they stopped fighting on New Hessen."

       "Let's not forget," said Lara Steiner from the back of the war room, "that the Capellan Confederation now occupies Slocum.  So that's two planets we don't have to worry about right now."

       " 'Right now' being the operative phrase there," Edward said, "because eventually we'll have to take Slocum back from the Capellans.  And they didn't really stop on New Hessen, they just blasted each other to death around the same time our statement arrived."

       "Well," said Leftenant Colonel Benjamin Shenke, TF Aleph's chief operations officer, "I think that for now, we can get away with leaving Kansu, Azha, and Woodstock to their own devices.  The fighting there really has died down since we ordered the cease-fire, and besides, we have bigger fish to fry."

       _That's probably the biggest understatement of the day,_ thought Edward as he looked at the holographic map being projected before him.  It showed the Tikonov Principality, with the worlds on which fighting still raged highlighted in increasing blots of red.  The one that captured his attention was huge, the world of Bharat, where over three regiments were still embattled.  Another major concern was Acamar, where the First Acamar Light Cavalry had tied down a regiment from the Third Capellan Guard.  Edward grimaced.

       "This is going to be ugly," he muttered.  "All right, time to start breaking up forces.  I'm planning on detaching Tai-sa Kozawa to Acamar, along with a battalion from the Second Lyran Guards.  Generalmajor Byrd can handle Sector Two.  Sector Three I'm giving to the Fourth Avalon.  Sector Four will be the responsibility of Tai-sa Williamson."

       "Who," asked Lara, "are you sending to Bharat?"

       "That distinct honor falls to you, Lara," Edward said.  "I've changed my plans.  Sho-sho Yamada and I will stay on Tikonov with our command battalions, and you'll take the Twelfth Donegal to Bharat with the 3045th Com Guards as backup.  I'll keep the First Crucis and First Genyosha back as a reserve force that I'll deploy as needed."

       "Brilliant," Lara grumbled, more at the situation than at her commanding officer.  "I'm assuming that Bharat's HPG station is in reasonably good shape."

       "The Com Guard garrison seems to have held up well against both the soldiers of the Principality and the Confederation.  I think they'll be quite pleased to see you, though."

       "Understandable," Lara said with a slight smile.  "WarShip support?"

       "You'll have the ComStar ship, and the Lyran flagship, of course.  Admiral Adel?"

       "Yes, this is my area of expertise, isn't it?" the old admiral said with a smile.  "We'll be dispatching the CSS _Excalibur_ and all four of ComStar's _Lioness_-class combat DropShips.  With the _Peter Steiner_ and the two _Hrothgar_s' aerofighter complements, you shouldn't have to worry about whatever the Capellans have to throw at you.  According to Prince Kerensky-Liao, the TPS _Glorious_ crashed on Bharat's second moon last week.  She was hammered pretty badly in the fighting.  The Capellans had two WarShips and a number of aerofighters there, but they haven't been spotted since the destruction of the _Glorious_."

       "Hardly surprising," Shenke said.  "They're probably sitting on the warp points."

       "Which is why General Steiner's fleet will be using a pirate point.  However, if the Capellan WarShips do make an appearance, you'll be able to speed them on their way to hell."  Edward clapped his hands.  "Obviously, there're a lot more details to be worked out, but that's the gist of it.  Colonel Shenke . . ."

       "Yeah, I'll get working on a plan," he said.  "It'll be on your desk tomorrow.  Thank the Lord most of the troops are still on their DropShips."

       "Don't complain, Benjy," Edward said with a laugh.  "Everyone knows you like it."

       "That never ever meant that I can't complain about it," said Shenke, sniffing indignantly.

Champion Estates, Tikonov 

**Tikonov Principality**

Mr. Zander sat back in the comfortable lounge chair that he kept next to the fireplace in his den, looking at the mercenary officer before him.  Captain Rain Jeffers, commanding officer of the Lonesome Vanguards, stood at a sharp military attention.  Really, it was inaccurate to think of Jeffers and her unit as a mercenary band.  Since Charlemagne had sent the First Vanguards and the Lonesome Devils on a suicidal mission to distract the Capellans so that the heavier merc units could attack, a mission that had cost both units their commanders, Jeffers had been understandably disgusted with Zander's employer.  However, Zander had convinced her to take leadership of the remnants of the Vanguards and the Devils, leaving her with just over four lances of 'Mechs, and had hired her as his private police force.

       "At ease, Captain Jeffers.  Have a seat?"

       "No, sir, thank you."  Jeffers fell into a more relaxed but still definitely military stance.  "You wanted to see me, sir?"

       "Absolutely, Captain, I wanted to commend your people for the excellent job you've been doing," said Zander.  "And I wished to inform you that I thought I might add in a little bonus for you."

       Jeffers nodded.  "Thank you, sir.  I'm sure my people will appreciate it."

       "I hope so.  They've certainly earned it."  Zander smiled.  "That's all, Captain, unless you'd like a drink."  He gestured at the brandy snifter that had been set on his desk.

       "No thank you, sir, I'm still on duty."

       "Of course."  Zander nodded for her to leave.  Jeffers came back to attention, saluted, and headed out.

       Mr. Zander leaned back.  Charlemagne certainly thought that everything was going well, and Zander would be content to agree with him so long as it lulled the egomaniacal Clanner into a false sense of security.  Truly, Zander had no intention of remaining Charlemagne's willing servant forever . . . and the "Prince" of Tikonov would certainly not appreciate Zander's plans.


	6. Part 5

Indothai Range, Bharat 

**Tikonov Principality**

**May 17, 3219**

The Capellan _Falconer_'s gauss slugs went wide, the magnetically accelerated projectiles flying by to the left of Lara Steiner's _Atlas_.  Lara let loose a volley from her 'Mech's heavy autocannon, walking the stream of armor piercing shells up the _Falconer_'s side and into it's left arm joint.  The gyro obviously destroyed, the Capellan retreated, falling back to the relative safety of the lines held by the Xiang-ning, one of Chancellor Liao's elite Death Commando units.  The four regiments of the Xiang-ning had been battling the three regiments of the Bharat Gurkhas for control of the planet for weeks now, and the fighting had worn the two combatants down to a bare three regiments in strength.

       Lara considered pursuing the _Falconer_, but it was too fast for her _Atlas _to catch, and she doubted that the heavily forested Indothai Range would offer any worthwhile long-range shots.  Despite the forest fires that the fighting had ignited throughout the range, its trees remained thick and dense.  The _Atlas_ knocked one aside as it plodded thirty meters to the west, where a group of Twelfth Donegal combat engineers were working with the assistance of a _Griffin IIC_ to clear a road.  The _Griffin_ used its massive hands to move boulders larger than most of the Twelfth's treaded vehicles, but the engineers were the true masters of the situation, clearing the road even faster than the 'Mech did.  Finally, it was clear, and a lance of Bulldog medium tanks led the way further into the range.

       "We're having a hell of a time with these traps, ma'am," Kiel said from his _Jupiter_.  "Best guess is that the Capellans have some people up ahead, blasting crap onto the road.  Our 'Mechs can bypass it, but it's giving our vehicles, especially the non-ATVs, a rough time."

       "Send a 'Mech lance ahead to flush out any would-be saboteurs."  Lara grimaced.  "Terminate with extreme prejudice, I'm sick of this bullshit."

       "Yes, ma'am."

       "Realtime, what's the picture?"

       "Realtime" was the codename for the mobile electronics warfare vehicle, the MEWV.  Realtime's job was to monitor communications on the planet to give the peacekeepers a clearer picture of what was going on. 

       "Rather unclear, right now, General.  The Gurkhas are fighting a pitched battle with a Capellan battalion about fifty klicks north, but the Capellans are being surprisingly quiet.  Frankly, I'm not sure how they manage to communicate like this.  They must be operating just with short-ranged transmitters, but that has to require really good timing.  And, of course, a healthy spot of good luck."

       "Let me know if you get anything," Lara said.  "Kiel, those 'Mechs are on the way?"

       "They're running ahead now, ma'am.  They haven't reported any contact with the enemy yet, though.  I'm hoping that we'll catch the bastards red-handed."

       _Not that it makes any difference to me,_ Lara thought.  _Dead is dead._

       "This is Breaker One to any receiving unit, we are under heavy attack by Capellan BattleMechs and support vehicles.  Please, any receiving unit, respond!"

       Lara throttled her _Atlas_ up to a run.  "Command lance on me.  Kiel, hold down the fort while I'm gone."

       "With pleasure, ma'am.  Good hunting."

       The _Atlas _crashed through the trees, creating a visible path down the hillside.  Up ahead, she could see where First Battalion's Breaker Lance was fighting what looked like a good mixed company of vehicles and 'Mechs.  Finally reaching a somewhat clear area where the trees had been burned out, Lara settled both targeting crosshairs on a Capellan _Kodiak_.  Her autocannon didn't have the range to score a hit, but her two large lasers did, and the ruby beams of energy hit dead on, melting a half-ton of armor off the 'Mech's back.  The Capellan turned in surprise, opening himself up to an attack from a Lyran _Hunchback_, and fired his lasers in return.  Two missed, but the third carved a long, molten scar in the _Atlas_'s leg.  Lara swore, sweat dripping from her brow with the sudden heat that turned her cockpit into a sauna.

       The rest of the units in her command lance began firing, and a Capellan Harasser burst into flames under a flurry of pulse laser darts.  The _Kodiak_ took a swipe at the _Hunchback_ as the smaller 'Mech ran past it, but missed, overextending itself and opening it up for a long burst from Lara's autocannon.  The DU slugs chewed through the heavy armor on the OmniMech's chest, taking out a number of secondary armaments, but the deadly arm-mounted lasers remained intact.  The _Kodiak_ hit the retreating _Hunchback_ with all three energy weapons, vaporizing armor from its backside.  With the sudden change in weight distribution throwing the pilot off-balance, the _Hunchback_ toppled forward into the ground, plowing a ten-meter track in the earth.

       A _Battle Hawk_ stepped up to support the _Kodiak_, firing at Lara's lancemate, who rode in a powerful _Supernova_.  Lara fired off a half-dozen SRMs at the _Kodiak_ to keep it busy while she engaged the _Battle Hawk_, trying to bring the heat off the _Supernova_.  Her strategy worked a bit too well, for now the _Battle Hawk_ and the _Kodiak_ concentrated all their efforts on her _Atlas_, but this also gave her lancemate an opportunity to bring all nine of her large lasers to bear.  The _Battle Hawk_ simply came apart under that concentrated barrage, sliced to pieces by the kilojoules of energy flowing into it.

       "Serves you right, you son of a bitch," Lara said, swiveling her 'Mech's torso to face the _Kodiak_.  Along with Breaker One, who piloted a _Mad Cat_, the Lyran MechWarriors blasted the Capellan until it fell to its knees, its pilot ejecting out of the canopy as explosions wracked the 'Mech's metal body.

       "Thanks for the save, General," Breaker One said.  "That was one hell of an ambush."

       "Ma'am," said Breaker Two, "we can confirm kills on six Capellan heavy-to-assault-class 'Mechs, and eight combat vehicles.  Not bad for a day's work."

       "Right you are, Breaker, right you are."  Lara glanced around her.  "Breaker Lance, continue your patrol.  We'll be in earshot if you need help again."

       Corporal Xin-shou Lo was quite certain that he needed to find another job.  He hooked the detonator up to the wad of plastic explosive he had mounted on the slope, knowing that the ensuing explosion would cause a landslide more than capable of covering the road, and hindering the advancing Lyrans.  Xin-shou also knew, though, that the Lyrans were gaining on his team, and he was quite certain that they would not take kindly to his efforts.

       "Xin-shou!  Xin-shou!  Let's get moving!" his assistant hissed to him.  Xin-shou waved the coward away.

       "Shut up, you fool.  If I do this wrong, we will accomplish nothing!"

       "Xin-shou—aah!"

       Xin-shou suddenly became aware of a towering presence above him.  He looked up, right into the cockpit of a _Shadow Cat_.  Painted on the side of the BattleMech's cockpit was the clenched iron gauntlet of the Lyran Alliance.

       "Fuck," Xin-shou muttered, just before a burst from the_ Shadow Cat_'s .50-caliber tore him and his assistant apart.

       Three hours and an ambush later, Lara Steiner and First Battalion made it to the spaceport where Kommandant Heller and Second Battalion had secured a headquarters for the Twelfth Donegal.  The ComStar DropShips were just beginning to set down when Lara, still in the shorts and cooling vest that she wore in her 'Mech cockpit, stepped into the Combat Information Center, the spaceport's hastily converted control room.

       "All right, what's the situation?" she demanded.

       "First Battalion's casualty counts are coming in.  Nothing too bad, only one 'Mech destroyed outright, two that we'll send salvage teams out for.  We've got a number of damaged units—" including, the operations officer did not say, Steiner's own _Atlas_ "—that'll need some time in the shop before they'll be fit again, but that shouldn't take much longer than twelve hours.  Second Battalion took the spaceport by surprise, and after we destroyed their only tank, the infantrymen almost unanimously surrendered.  There was a running gunfight with one particularly fanatical Capellan, and two of our people were wounded.  She . . . didn't survive the apprehension attempt."

       That was the ops officer's watered-down way of saying that a BattleMech had leveled the section of the spaceport where she had been hiding.  Lara nodded.

       "Third Battalion?"

       "Third Battalion successfully completed its patrols without incident.  They picked up a pair of 'Mechs from the Gurkhas, a _Raven_ and a _Joust_."

       "Excellent.  When will Precentor McNamara's forces be deployed?"

       "The 3045th Regiment will be unloaded within the hour.  We'll integrate their units into patrol teams.  I was thinking pairs of lances on search-and-destroy missions, perhaps light lances for recon.  We'll keep a company or so at the spaceport at all times to guard against attack, but the automated systems really are quite good."  He smiled.  "Unfortunately for the Capellans, they were stupid enough to have them turned off when we dropped in on them."

       "Thanks for small favors," she muttered.  "Hauptmann Rice, what kind of perimeter do we have?"

       The Chief Defense Officer glanced up from the tactical plot he and a number of staff officers had been studying.  "I've got 'Mechs and vehicles holding a perimeter at five hundred meters from the base.  Company F is being held back as a reserve."

       "Excellent.  And when can we expect the Second Regiment from upstairs?"

       "Commodore Grinau is promising that they'll be down before tomorrow, but it seems that those aerofighters they ran into caused some damage to the docking mechanisms."

       "Tell him that I want whatever he can offload down now."  Lara leaned over the tactical plot, zooming the map out to show the Indothai Range and the half-circle of mountains that closed it in to the west.  "Look, we know that the Gurkhas are very well trained in mountain combat, but only light to medium 'Mechs can be used in the mountains, so they're at a serious disadvantage in a straight fight.  What they've been doing is drawing the Xiang-ning into the mountains where they can pick them off in ambushes, using hit-and-fade tactics.  We've got to extract their commander, General Albert Korsakov, so he can talk to the Capellan general and hammer out a cease-fire.  Since the Xiang-ning have made their intentions to shoot down anything that flies into their zones—" the Twelfth Donegal had lost four VTOL recon flights already "—we'll just have to smash our way to the mountains.  Now, that's a good fifteen, twenty klicks from here—"

       "Eighteen and a half, to be precise," Rice chimed in.

       "—and I can think of no better way to convince the Capellan commander to talk peace than by trashing every BattleMech he has between us and them."

       "It's a sound plan, ma'am, if a little obvious," Kiel said.  "So we go in, get General Korsakov, and get out?"

       "That's about it."  Lara stood up.  "I assume that Second Battalion should be up to performing the mission?"

       "Damn straight, ma'am," Vincent Heller said from the back of the room.  Lara smiled.

       "Spoken like a true Lyran warrior.  First and Third Battalions will be performing missions against Capellan targets of opportunity so that they can't just concentrate their forces on cutting Heller's people off.  If Heller does get cut off, well, we'll be holding the Com Guards in reserve to smash them out."  She shrugged.  "And if things get really bad, we must have a DropShip or two we can scrounge up."

City of Promise, Bharat 

**Tikonov Principality**

General Joan Ben-Meir keyed up the channel for Captain Markham, commander of the Xiang-ning's First Company.  Markham, always a joy to speak with, nodded curtly at the video pickup in the cockpit of his _Grendel _BattleMech.

       "Yes, General?"  Besides being a captain in the Capellan Army, Markham held a position as a Second Initiate in Chong-lo's secret police force, the Heaven Warriors.  Knowing that his reputation was anything but angelic, Ben-Meir had been reluctant to have Markham under her command, but one did not argue with the Heaven Warriors.

       "Captain," started Ben-Meir, taking the opportunity to remind him that she was the superior officer, "I have new orders for your company.  I wish you to withdraw from the Indothai Range.  Bring your troops back to headquarters."

       "Pardon, ma'am?  You wish for us to retreat?"

       "You've already lost three 'Mechs, Captain, I can't have you lose anymore."  When Markham started to protest, Ben-Meir raised a calming hand.  "No, I do not blame you for their destruction.  The Lyrans had you outnumbered three-to-one, easily.  Please, return to headquarters, for I have a new mission in mind for First Company."

       "Indeed, General?  I certainly hope it gives me the opportunity to kill more Lyrans."  He cut the connection.


	7. Part 6

Davion Palace, New Avalon Crucis March Federated Suns May 18, 3219 Jan Hakados was quite certain that Prince Davion would not be happy to see him.  The Intelligence Secretary held in his hand a dispatch from the Precentor Martial of ComStar, and its message did not bode well for the current situation. 

       "Ah, Jan, how are you?" Anderson Davion asked when Hakados stepped into the Fox's Den.  Hakados tried to smile.

       "Not well, sir."  He handed Anderson the message, only a short paragraph in length.

       "Sweet Jesus," Anderson said after he had read it twice.  "He's really serious?"

       "I do not doubt it, sir.  ROM does, after all, have access to all of ComStar's transmissions."  Hakados folded his arms in front of him, for the first time in his career truly disturbed by the information his duties made him privy to.

       The dispatch from Nicholas Kurita-Davion was quite straightforward in its statement that the ruler of House Corrigan had entered secret negotiations with Chancellor Liao to bring the Free Worlds Republic in on the Confederation's side of the war.  Nicholas had let them know that Precentor ROM, Jamie Guinness, had told only the Primus himself, and that ComStar was not yet ready to present this information to the First Lord, though Anderson doubted that Nicholas had not informally notified his cousin on the Steiner third of his heritage of the development.  However, Donavan was too astute a politician to act without ComStar formally coming forward with the information, and of course, ComStar could not do that without admitting to everyone that ROM was spying on international communications.  It went without saying that that particular issue would not go over well in the Star League's member states.

       "If Corrigan enters the war on Sian's behalf, he'll turn it into more than just a Capellan civil war.  This'll be a major interstellar conflict, and that's going to destroy the Star League."

       "We can stop him," Hakados said idly, as if it were a trivial matter.

       Anderson froze.

       "What you're proposing," the First Prince said slowly, "is the beginning of a conflict that could bigger than the Blakist Jihad, hell, bigger than even the FedCom Civil War.  There must be another way.  I cannot risk it."  He laughed half-heartedly.  "I am not the Fox, Jan."

       "Sir, I could not agree more.  But you are my friend and my liege, and I must tell you that right now, the Free Worlds Republic could destroy the Third Star League.  If that happens, the tensions in the galaxy have built up so that there will not be a fourth such union.  It will be the succession wars all over again, and millions will die."

       Anderson pursed his lips.  "House Davion will formally put the issue before the Star League."

       "How can we do that without revealing ROM's complicity?  ComStar has taken great risks to give us this information . . ."

       "I will lie," Anderson said.  "It certainly worked often enough for my predecessors!  No one needs know that ROM discovered Corrigan's intent, for I will claim that agents of the Intelligence Secretariat managed to smuggle the information to me.  The Federated Suns will be on the spot, but Donavan will be able to redirect their attention at Corrigan—if he even needs to."

Corrigan Mansion Estate, Marik 

**Marik Administrative Sector**

**Free Worlds Republic**

**May 19, 3219**

Captain-General David Corrigan barely glanced at Galaxy Commander Mariah Fetladral, Clan Wolf's informal ambassador to the Free Worlds Republic.  The Clan MechWarrior stood in a formal leather tunic and thigh-high boots, a wolf-skin cape furling around her body.

       "You have not answered my question, Corrigan."

       "And you have not treated me with the respect deserving of an ally's head of state," Corrigan retorted.  "Or have the Wolves' manners decreased even more since our last meeting?"

       Fetladral sneered at him, but he didn't even pretend to care.  Corrigan's days of groveling before his Wolf masters were over.

       The Free Worlds Republic owed its origins, and two-thirds of its name, to its great predecessor, House Marik's Free Worlds League.  The last Captain-General of the League, Thomas Marik, had died fighting the Word of Blake Jihad, horrified that the Blakists had repaid his courtesy in harboring them with a legacy of senseless bloodshed.  Word of Blake's assault on Atreus had been one of the most spectacular battles of the war, surpassed perhaps only by the battle for New Avalon, and had left the world a ruin that had only begun to begin to repair.  After the total collapse of the Free Worlds League, including the retreat of the surviving members of the Marik family to the Isle of Skye, where Thomas's daughter Isis had married into the Steiner bloodline, dozens of governments had sprung up, all vying for control of the dying League.

       The whole area had been leaderless, slowly being gobbled up by their Lyran and Capellan neighbors, until 3150.  Arthur Corrigan, a native of the planet Marik, had resigned his commission in the Republic of the Sphere's army, leaving his life as a Knight of the Sphere and returning to reshape his native country.  Ten years later, the Free Worlds Republic had been united under a new Captain-General.  Gradually, the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere recognized House Corrigan as a power to be reckoned with, especially with their participation in the war with the Republic of the Sphere.

       However, in 3200, David Corrigan had inherited the Captain-Generalcy after his father had been assassinated.  The nation was in turmoil, and it seemed that civil war was imminent.

       Help had come from a surprising source.  The Wolf Clan, until recently one of the more hostile members of the Star League, had extended its help, sending elite military units at Corrigan's bequest, helping the Captain-General to smooth over the crisis and enforce order where uprising was unavoidable.  And in return, they had expected his servitude.

       No longer.  Corrigan had very carefully built up the Free Worlds Republic, nurturing its economy, military, and political situation until he was certain it would survive independent of the Wolves.  He had severed his ties with the Clan when he had voted against granting freedom for Tikonov, and now he was certain that the Clanners would be fairly displeased with him.

       "You see, Galaxy Commander," he said, "the truth is that I don't need the Wolf Clan anymore.  I don't need your 'Mechs, and I don't need your money."

       "Captain-General, I am a Warrior of the Clan Wolf, and I—"

       "Save it for your Khans, Mariah.  Have fun explaining to them that I ejected you from the Republic's territory."  He waved his hands.  "Now take your lackeys and get out.  Your DropShip is standing by, and I don't want you to keep your captain waiting."

       "Freebirth," Fetladral hissed.  "This is not the last time we will speak to each other."  She looked to the two staff officers standing behind her, and they followed her silently from the room.

       Corrigan leaned back in his chair, triumphantly propping his feet on his desk.  "General Romanov, you may come in now."

       Andrei Romanov stepped into the office from behind a hidden door, holstering the pistol he had been carrying at the ready in case the Clanners had taken Corrigan's ejection badly.  "They took that well," he said.

       "Indeed.  I think she'll make good on her threat," he said.

       "If she does, we'll burn her whole galaxy to the ground on the doorsteps to Marik, if need be," Romanov asserted.

       "Of that I have no doubt.  But back to the matter at hand.  What is the status of Task Force Python?"

       Romanov took a seat.  "Admiral Williams just reported in, while I was in the closet, in fact.  Amazing the ventilation you have in that thing."  Corrigan gestured for Romanov to continue.  "Well, yes.  Our BattleMech forces will be reaching their targets in just a few days.  Acamar and Bharat are in the first wave.  As you know, we won't target Tikonov itself until the second wave, when we can throw two regiments at them."

       "Intelligence has confirmed that General Davion only has two battalions there?"

       "That is correct, sir.  Hell, if he had two divisions, I don't think he could stop the First Marik Knights," Romanov said, naming the Free Worlds Republic Armed Forces' elite shock troops.

       "Don't get so cocky.  Unlike just about everyone under the age of seventy-something, Edward Davion has held a combat command before.  Don't underestimate his skill.  And don't forget that the Principality has some heavy firepower of its own on Tikonov.  They have the First Tikonov Regular Guard, and Jorge Esteban's Lakeland Cavaliers, and they have the advantage of fighting on their own turf.

       "True, Captain-General, but then, we have the advantage of being able to blow up anything that we choose," Romanov said.  "I shall deliver Tikonov to your hands, Captain-General.  Just wait."

Twelfth Donegal Guards HQ, Bharat 

**Tikonov Principality**

**May 21, 3219**

"Romeo-six, Romeo-six, this is Skylark, come in, Romeo-six."

       "Roger, Skylark, this is Romeo-six."  The communications operator in the CIC quickly gained the attention of Oberstleutnant Kiel as the _Peter Steiner_ came in on the comlink.

       "Romeo-six, we have incoming bogeys, at least three WarShips and numerous DropShips.  Commodore Grinau requests to speak with General Steiner."

       "Skylark, I'm afraid that may be a little difficult, General Steiner is in the field right now," Kiel said.  "We'll attempt to patch you through, but no promises."

       "General, this is Kiel.  Can you take a call from Grinau right now?  He says that we've got incoming bogeys, probable hostiles."

       Lara pelted the _Falconer_ with a quick burst from her autocannon, wondering at how fast the Capellans had managed to repair the 'Mech's extensive damage in their previous meeting.  "Kiel, this is kind of a bad time . . ."

       A silvery gauss round smashed against the _Atlas_'s leg, twisting it around.  Lara executed a quick, albeit awkward, skip forward, barely keeping the 100-ton 'Mech standing.  Her HUD informed her that she had lost almost all the armor over her left thigh.  Lara's return laser beam went over the _Falconer_'s head, and the Capellan 'Mech fired again, this time hitting her in the chest with both slugs.  The _Atlas_ pitched backwards, and Lara threw herself forward in her seat, rocking the 'Mech back into its feet.

       "Well, this is interesting," she muttered between clenched teeth, hitting the _Falconer_ with a large laser.  The brilliant red spear made molten armor run off the 'Mech's side like a river, exposing the endo-steel frame beneath.  Lara fired the autocannon into the wound, setting off a chain-reaction of explosions, blowing out pieces of the 'Mech's metal body.  The pilot ejected moments before his machine collapsed, its artificial bones melting beneath the heat released as its fusion reactor lost containment.

       "All right, Kiel, patch Grinau through."

       "Ma'am, this is Grinau.  Our aerofighter patrols have detected three, no, make that four incoming WarShips and an undetermined amount of DropShips.  We've identified the WarShips as FWRS _Mercury_, _Iliad_, _Knight_, and _Invincible_, but they haven't responded to our hails."

       "Damn."  Lara shook her head as a _Pack Hunter _fired at her.  "Grinau, you are authorized to defend your ships with extreme prejudice, but make certain it is just that—defense.  We can't afford an interstellar incident here.  If you can, find out what the hell they're here for."

       "Yes, ma'am.  Grinau out."

       "Steiner clear—damn!"  A medium laser scorched the _Atlas_'s head, a half a meter from her view port.  "Yeah, yeah, everyone wants attention.  I just hope you don't mind the kind you're going to get!"

**LAS _Peter Steiner_, High Bharat Orbit**

**Tikonov Principality**

"Helm, take us out of orbit," Commodore Jacob Grinau said, strapping himself into his acceleration chair.  "All hands secure for battle stations."

       "Sir, Precentor Serghenti suggests splitting the bogeys between us," the comm tech said.  "He's offering to take _Mercury _and _Iliad_."

       "By all means, they're his," Grinau said.  "Deploy our aerofighters in a screening action ahead and stern, we'll use them to harass our targets and generally seed confusion in the minds of the agents of evil."  He smiled.  "Assuming that they're not using psychic protection."

       The bridge crew chuckled, glad to have a moment's release.  Grinau let the smile stay on his face for another second, then dropped it.

       "Helm, bring us right six degrees, roll right thirty . . . thirty-two, and increase acceleration to three gravities."

       "Right six degrees, roll right thirty-two, three gravities, aye, sir," Helm reported.

       "Sir, we're receiving a transmission from Admiral Williams on the _Knight_.  He commands us to heave to and prepare to receive borders.  We are to consider ourselves prisoners of the Free Worlds Republic."

       _Since when,_ wondered Grinau, _were the Free Worlders pissed at us?_  "Like hell we are.  Guns, give me a good lock.  I want to hit that bastard with everything we've got if they open fire, but you may not fire without my express orders."

       "Aye, sir.  Guns ready."

       "Sensors—"

       "Jesus, sir, they just fired on the _Excalibur_!"

       Grinau did not hesitate.  "Guns, fire at will!"

       Naval-grade lasers scorched out across the distance between the WarShips, beating their counterparts that did not travel at the speed of light by fractions of seconds.  The _Peter Steiner_ struck the first blow, vaporizing armor from the _Knight_'s nose, moments before her two gauss cannons and three autocannons pounded massive rents in the WarShip's hull.  Her missile launchers let loose their Killer Whale anti-ship missiles, sending the deadly weapons on their way.  It took the missiles longer to get to the _Knight_, but when they did, their powerful warheads blasted aside armor.

       "Sir!  _Knight_ is leaking atmosphere in at least two places!  We've done heavy damage to her forward sections!"

       But then it was the _Peter Steiner_'s turn to be on the receiving end.

       Lasers burned off tons of armor, kissing the WarShip's hull with the heat of a sun.  Gauss slugs the size of tanks and streams of DU blew off chunks of the ship's protective skin, exposing B-deck's forward compartments to space.  Eight of the _Peter Steiner_'s crew died from the explosive decompression of their stations, and fires raged until their consumable atmosphere was extinguished.

       "Damage control, report!"

       "Sir, power to the lasers was cut in that last explosion!  You've got to cut accel so the damage control teams can repair the problem!" Engineering insisted on the comlink.  Grinau nodded.

       "Helm, cut accel to one and a half gees.  Guns, hammer that bastard with everything we've still got.  Run the magazines dry."

       "Absolutely, sir," Guns said, the steady chugging of the autocannons rumbling through the hull as they went to full auto, joined at six-second intervals by the launching of Killer Whales.  Guns conserved the gauss cannons more, firing them only when a hit was guaranteed.

       All the while, the _Knight_ and _Invincible_ pummeled the Lyran WarShip.  Alarms went off in the background, and more and more of the damage schematic displayed on the left secondary view screen went bright, flashing red.  Grinau shook his head.

       "Damage, what's taking so long?"

       "Sir, Commodore, everyone's dead, they're all dead—"

       Grinau cut the connection.

       "Helm, come left sixty five degrees and increase acceleration to six gravities.  Weapons, hit the _Knight _with everything we've got."

       "Aye, sir."

       "Course input, aye," Helm said, not mentioning that Grinau's course would take them right into the _Invincible_.

       As they accelerated toward the WarShip, pouring fire into the _Knight_, the captain of the _Invincible_ must have noticed something.  He had to.  But it made no difference, and the two WarShips collided under full acceleration.  The resulting explosion was to bright to be described.


	8. Part 7

Task Force Aleph HQ, Tikonov 

**Tikonov Principality**

**May 25, 3219**

"My God."  Edward Davion fell back into his chair, letting the dispatch flutter to the floor.  "My God."

       "Sir?" Shenke asked worriedly.

       "It's from Bharat.  The Free Worlds Republic is attacking them.  We've . . . lost both WarShips."  Edward rubbed his temples.  "They landed with three regiments.  General Steiner destroyed the HPG array to keep them from taking it.  She's gone to ground."

       "Christ.  Any word from the Star League?"

       "Yes, in fact, there is."  Edward grimaced.  "The Star League has expelled the Free Worlds Republic for its actions.  In protest, the Capellans seceded."

       "Lord, but there will be hell to pay when this is over," Shenke said.

       "But will it ever end?  All right, we're going to have to—"

       The screaming of the alarms interrupted him.

       "Dammit, this day just keeps getting better and better."

       ". . . and that's the current situation."

       Edward looked at the tactical display.  It was bad, possibly worse than it was on Bharat.  The Free Worlders were coming in strength, with at least two BattleMech regiments and their supporting units.  Edward had ordered the two WarShips he possessed to back off to the nadir jump point.  The last thing he wanted was a repeat of the massacre at Bharat.

       "Mobilize the First TRG and Colonel Esteban's people.  Get our people into the streets now, and start evacuating the city.  How much time do we have till the Free Worlders make planetfall?"

       "Four days, at their present acceleration."

       Edward shook his head.  "How long will it take to evacuate the city?"

       "Longer than that, sir.  Four million people won't just disappear."  Shenke squinted his eyes.  "We need to fight the Free Worlders in the city.  If we meet them in a straight-up fight, their superior numbers will kill us."

       "Yeah, but if we fight in the streets before the city is evacuated, we're going to end up killing a lot of people," Edward said.  "Damn.  All right, what if we evacuate the northern section of the city, and then concentrate our forces there?  They'll have to come to us if they want to win the planet."

       "We won't be able to rely on our air support in the city," Shenke pointed out.

       "But neither will they, and it frees up our aerofighters to hit their supply lines.  Okay, people, we have a plan, now make it happen."

Tikonov City, Tikonov 

**Tikonov Principality**

**June 12, 3219**

Four BattleMechs stalked carefully through the streets, blissfully unaware of the ambush they were walking into.

       Edward leveled his _Atlas_'s right arm at the first 'Mech, a _Locust_, and unleashed the hellish fury of his particle projection cannon.  The blue energy rope slapped the 'Mech aside, knocking it into one of its lancemates.

       "Hit 'em!" Edward shouted.  The _Catapult_ beside him unleashed a full volley from its LRM launchers, smothering the Free Worlder lance under an avalanche of missiles.  To Edward's left, a Davion _JagerMech_ stepped forward, its rotary autocannons firing nonstop.  Depleted uranium slugs punched through the 'Mechs' armor, and explosions erupted from within the maelstrom.  In thirty seconds, four 'Mechs died in the streets of Tikonov City, and Edward's lance quickly moved to relocate before the Free Worlders could respond.

       "General, this is Shenke."  The operations officer had set up shop in the basement of a local radio station, making full use of its transmitting equipment.  "We've got a company of heavies moving into the city from the northwest.  I've intercepted communications indicating that this is the command unit for the First Marik Knights."

       "Roger, can we intercept?"

       "Your lance is about five klicks from their last-known position.  I've got Basher Lance coming in from the west.  If you two can ambush them, with a little luck, you'll be able to inflict serious damage."

       "Any word as to which 'Mech the Knights' commander is riding in?"

       "Our file says it's Colonel General Alister Lofton.  Last time the Secretariat checked, he was in a _King Crab_."

       "Fantastic."  On the bright side, the heavily armed, heavily armored BattleMech would be easy to pick out.  "Okay, Command Lance, let's get these guys."

       It had been a bloody two weeks of fighting, reducing the peacekeepers' strength to an over strength battalion.  Colonel Esteban's mercenaries had fought valiantly during the first week of the fighting, but as of four days ago had ceased to exist as a viable fighting force.  Its six survivors had been integrated into the Kuritan force, which had suffered more casualties than the Davion battalion in the opening battles of the campaign.  However, as badly as Task Force Aleph had been hurt, the First Marik Knights had gotten even worse.  Their force had been reduced to a single battalion of 'Mechs and half as much in vehicles and infantry.

       As his 'Mechs tromped toward the enemy commander's last known coordinates, Edward couldn't help but feel the excitement welling up in his gut.  If he could eliminate the Free Worlders' general, the battle would be essentially over.  The peacekeepers already had them beat in numbers, and sacking their commander, especially when their next-ranking officer was a senior lieutenant, would deal a fatal blow to the Knights' efforts.

       _But don't get ahead of yourself, Eddy-ol'-boy,_ Edward told himself.  _First things first.  Kill this bastard, and then worry about how it'll affect his troops._

       "Gold One, this is Basher One.  We have visual on the target.  Over."

       "Gold One here, I roger," Edward said.  "Okay, Basher, I've got you at under a klick away.  ETA thirty seconds."

       The fighting was already vicious when the command lance arrived, and Edward could see six downed 'Mechs, one of them from the Bashers.  He settled his sights on an _Arbalest_ and fired with everything he had.

       The wave of heat washed over him, drenching him in sweat despite all his cooling vest and heat sinks could do.  But the results were well worth it.

       His gauss rifle smashed the _Arbalest_'s long-range missile launchers beyond repair, and only the 'Mech's CASE saved it from the cataclysmic explosions of its munitions.  An azure particle beam flayed armor from the _Arbalest_'s side like a paring knife, and the quartet of medium pulse lasers stitched ruby darts into the 'Mech's main torso.  The _Arbalest_ turned to face him, unleashing a pair of medium lasers and scoring direct hits, but it was nothing compared to Edward's second shot . . . and the gauss slug that went through the 'Mech's hip joint, blowing off the leg and sending it toppling to the ground, out of the fight.  Edward saw the pilot blow out his canopy, running for the relative safety of a nearby apartment complex.

       Edward shifted his attention to the target of the attack, the Free Worlder commander's _King Crab_.  The 100-ton assault 'Mech stepped toward him and opened its arms in an obvious challenge, looking very much like the animal for which Aleksandr Kerensky had named it.  Blinking sweat out of his eyes, Edward muttered a prayer, and fired.

       With the heat gauge still in the red, Edward could only afford to fire his gauss rifle.  The rail gun sent a silvery melon-sized round into the _Crab_'s side, blasting off chunks of armor that fell to the street below like metal rain.  Bracing himself, he nudged the _Atlas_ up to its full speed, not waiting for the _King Crab_'s response.

       Edward hunched his 'Mech's shoulder forward, barreling into the _King Crab_ at fifty kilometers an hour.  The BattleMech was thrown back onto one foot by the impact, and Edward didn't let up, swinging the _Atlas_'s fist into the _Crab_'s main body.  The 'Mech fell backward, smashing to the street with all the subtlety of an earthquake.  Edward fired his gauss rifle point-blank into the left shoulder joint, sheering the arm completely from the body.  Pinning the 'Mech against the street under his foot, he aimed the gauss rifle at the _Crab_'s cockpit and turned on the broadcast channel.

       "Listen up, Free Worlder," he said.  "You are in direct violation of Star League Ruling 42891.  With the power vested in me as commander of Star League Army Task Force Aleph, I hereby order you to get your ass off my planet, or face punishment by death!"

       The reply came, weakened by the damage the 'Mech had sustained.

       "Christ . . . this is General Lofton . . . Star League commander, the First Marik Knights agree to your terms.  We'll be off Tikonov in twenty-four hours."

       Edward levered his 'Mech off the _King Crab_, crushing the 'Mech's intact claw—and the weapons housed there—on the way down.

       "Glad to hear it, General Lofton, because I'll destroy every 'Mech in your regiment if you stay a minute longer."

Twelfth Donegal Guards HQ, Bharat 

**Tikonov Principality**

**June 12, 3219**

Brilliant beams of laser energy crisscrossed across the spaceport landing field as Capellan and Free Worlder BattleMechs came pouring out of the forest.  Lara Steiner's _Atlas_, still damaged from previous engagements with the new attackers, rocked backwards from the impact of a gauss slug.  Lara fought to maintain control of her 'Mech, firing its autocannon at a Capellan _Tarantula_, blowing the four-legged 'Mech's cockpit open.

       _Shouldn't have brought a light 'Mech to an assault fight, _Lara thought, redirecting her attentions at a _Grendel_.  The 90-ton BattleMech fired at her with one of its PPCs, missing by a bare margin, and received sixteen rounds from her autocannon for its troubles.  But the _Grendel _was far from finished, hitting Lara with its second particle cannon and a flight of Streak-SRMs.  The wave of missiles bracketed the _Atlas_ in explosions, one of them blasting through her barely-armored thigh, destroying the myomer muscle beneath and rendering the 'Mech's left leg useless.  Dragging the cripple appendage behind her, Lara moved to pursue the _Grendel_, which was trying to maneuver behind her for an unopposed shot.  She hit it with a prolonged burst from her autocannon that hammered one of the PPCs to scrap, but then it was out of her firing arc.  She could still see it in her secondary displays, the _Grendel_ arrogantly striding up for a better shot.  Artificial lightning lashed out from the _Grendel_'s intact particle projection cannon, whipping the _Atlas_ across the back, punching through the heavy shielding around the 'Mech's fusion reactor.  The heat instantly became overwhelming in the cockpit, and Lara heard the telltale warning voice of the computer, advising her to bail.

       Her hand found the ejection lever and pulled.  The top of the _Atlas_'s head blew off to make way for the ejection chair, which rocketed Lara some forty meters into the air.  Sometime on the way up, she passed out.


	9. Part 8

Davion Palace, New Avalon 

**Crucis March**

**Federated Suns**

**July 4, 3219**

"You've done well, Edward," said Anderson Davion to the officer standing before him in the Fox's Den.  "Better than anyone could have expected, given the circumstances.  I'm afraid we just didn't anticipate what that idiot Corrigan would do."

       Edward Davion stared at his cousin.  "That is an understatement, my lord," he said finally.  "The Star League is now at war with the Free Worlds Republic and the Capellan Confederation.  And it wouldn't surprise me if some of the Clans went over to their side.  Yes, I would say that things went unexpectedly."  He hesitated.  "Any word of General Steiner?"

       Lara Steiner had been captured by the Capellans at Bharat, the only world in the Tikonov Principality that the Confederation still held.  After routing the attack on Tikonov, Edward had consolidated his forces and had been on the verge of mounting an assault when the Star League had recalled him.  Now, battles had erupted on dozens of worlds between Capellan and Free Worlder forces and the Star League Army, primarily Com Guard garrisons.  The situation had gone from bad to worse to hell in a hand basket in the span of six weeks.

       Anderson shifted uncomfortably.  "Ah, yes.  The Capellans sentenced her to death for war crimes.  Her execution is scheduled for the first of next year."  He raised a hopeful glance at his cousin.  "Don't worry, Edward, we've got plenty of time to get her back, even if we have to go to Sian to do it."

       Edward Davion, who had recently been named Commander-in-Chief of the Star League Defense Forces in replacement of Precentor Martial Kurita-Davion (who had accepted full responsibility for the situation's deterioration even though the responsibility was not his, and who had resigned his position as Commander-in-Chief), just nodded.  "You're right, Anderson, we'll get her back—_I'll_ get her back.  This is far from over."

Prince's Palace, Tikonov 

**Tikonov Principality**

**July 5, 3219**

Charlemagne Kerensky-Liao was quite pleased with himself.  While he certainly hadn't intended to set off an interstellar war, he had accomplished what he had meant to do, and accomplished it very neatly.  The people of the Principality were firmly behind him, resolute against the Capellan menace that loomed on the horizon.

       He wasn't happy with the loss of Bharat, but it was only one world.  His allies in House Davion would eventually conquer it for him anyway, so what was to be gained by fretting over one planet?

       Charlemagne was surprised by a knocking on his office door.  He had specifically instructed his orderly to screen all but the most urgent of calls.  If this was anything short of an all-out invasion of Tikonov, he was going to be extremely angry.

       "What?"

       The door opened enough to allow Mr. Zander to slip in.  Charlemagne's agent was dressed as he always did, in unrelenting black that gave his brusque demeanor even more exaggeration.

       "What is it, Zander?" Charlemagne asked impatiently.

       "Why don't you have a seat, Prince?" Zander said, taking a chair himself.  "You know, I always thought your office was too small.  I'll have to change that."

       "What are you talking about?"

       Zander smiled wickedly.  "Oh, you didn't know?  There's going to be a change in management.  Specifically, on the executive level."

       Charlemagne laughed.  "You can't possibly believe that the people would support you.  They love me!  They're having parades in the street in my honor!  You must be mad if you think that any kind of coup will work!"

       "I would certainly agree that I couldn't hope to maintain control if I simply overthrew you, Charlemagne, but then, I don't have to."  Zander's smile grew as he kept talking.  "You see, Prince, just yesterday I sent out evidence indicating your complicity in the death of your wife to every world in the Principality—including Bharat—and, of course, all the Inner Sphere capitals.  About now, that news should be going public, and the people will be outraged at your betrayal."

       "You bastard, you know I had nothing to do with my wife's death!" Charlemagne growled.  "I _wanted_ her alive, it would have been easier with her alive!"

       "Oh, I know that my accusations are completely false," said Zander.  "And you know why?  Because I'm the one who arranged for Lady Janice to be just a little late in leaving.  I'm the one that killed her, Charlemagne, and you never suspected, did you?"

       "Son of a bitch . . . wait!"  Charlemagne sat straight up, suddenly seeing a way out.  "You wouldn't dare try me now, I'd tell that in court in a heartbeat!  The only way out I can see is for us to cut a deal.  I'll let you have the Principality, and you give me . . . forty-eight hours before sending the authorities."

       "I'm certain that arrangement works for you, Charlemagne, but it doesn't happen to fit with my plans."  Zander reached into his coat, removing a large pistol.  "Being even more horrified than the average citizen, I went immediately with Captain Jeffers and her mercenaries to apprehend you.  It's too bad that you resisted arrest . . . and it is with a heavy heart that I, next in line in the government, must accept the title of Prince myself."  Charlemagne's eyes widened as he realized how thoroughly he had been duped, and Zander raised the pistol to level with the Clanner's forehead.

       "Call it a Trial of Succession.  You lose."

       He fired once.

THE END . . . but Edward Davion will return.


End file.
